What happens to a molecule when you throw it at a surface? An international collaboration between scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, and the University of Oxford have shown that the outcome depends on how fast the molecule approaches the surface. Slow-approaching molecules experience geometrical changes, useful in revealing the three-dimensional structures of biomolecules; while fast-approaching molecules experience selective chemical reactions, giving products that cannot be obtained by conventional thermal chemistry.
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